Rapid Progress!

The three-year period quickly passed, and the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament began. Martial artists from all over flocked to participate, though truly capable ones were few and far between.

This was also the last World Martial Arts Tournament before the Dragon Balls story reached the Cell Saga.

Not wanting to miss it, Li Ming headed to the tournament. This was a historic showdown, even if, to him now, it was little more than a formality.

The moment Li Ming saw Bulma appear after leaving the training room, he vanished in a flash and made his escape. Honestly, ever since Bulma had set him up two years ago, although that mishap had boosted his strength, it had also nearly gotten him killed!

Who the hell could endure that happening a few more times? What if he did not die at the hands of aliens, but instead got set up to death as a proud Saiyan? Who would he even complain to?

It had nothing to do with strength. Something like that really could happen. Even absurd monsters like Androids could be created through science, so people who wielded cutting-edge technology truly could not be underestimated.

"Huh? Where did he go? He was just here." Bulma had originally planned to ask Li Ming to go to the World Martial Arts Tournament with her, since she had arranged to meet Goku.

But after searching for a long time without finding him, she could only head to Kame House in resignation.

"Oh my, Bulma, come have breakfast. There's cake, your favorite." Mrs. Brief came out as well, only to see the plane taking off. Bulma's voice was drowned out by the roar of its engines.

"Oh? She already left? I was going to have Bulma visit her sister Tights. What an impatient girl."

Mrs. Brief looked at her husband and nodded. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Tights in a long time. I wonder how her writing is going?"

Along the way, Bulma went to Kame House to meet up with the others, only to find Li Ming had already arrived there ahead of them.

Li Ming froze for a moment. He was still deeply grateful for Master Roshi's guidance. Martial artists who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts attainment were not people to be taken lightly.

Goku's future achievements and immense battle talent did not come solely from his Saiyan bloodline.

"Everyone, how have you been?"

"Miss Bulma, long time no see."

Launch greeted her politely. As for the others, things became somewhat awkward. There was no helping it; Yamcha was afraid speaking would make things more awkward, and Krillin, as his senior, could hardly mock him.

As for Master Roshi, he had unusually dressed in a formal suit.

"So, Li Ming, you're planning to enter this tournament too?" Krillin walked over and took the initiative to greet him.

"I'm just going to have some fun, and deal with a few problems while I'm at it."

Li Ming had no interest in the power of the Dragon Balls, but Piccolo and Goku's strength could be considered the ceiling of Earth's current power. Since battle power could not be measured, it would naturally be best if he could use them to gauge his own current level.

"You're really entering? Then don't I have even less hope? Damn it."

"Hehe, what matters is participation. Opportunities like this are rare, after all."

"Well, that's true. With you and Goku there, plus that guy Tien Shinhan, I gave up on becoming champion long ago."

Li Ming swept his gaze around. Only after Krillin mentioned him did he realize Tien Shinhan was not there. That was strange. Launch had not followed him?

On second thought, this was blue-haired Launch. She probably would not cling to Tien Shinhan.

"Tien Shinhan isn't here?"

"Yeah." At that moment, Yamcha seemed to be trying to ease the awkwardness, or perhaps he felt that speaking to Bulma would only get him scolded, so he explained proactively. "That guy Tien Shinhan climbed Korin Tower with us. He parted ways with us a year ago. No idea whether he found the Kami you mentioned."

"Is that so? Then he should have gained something from it."

Li Ming knew this well. Korin was like a weaker version of Mr. Popo. His understanding of martial arts was more broadly applicable and did not impose such rigid limitations.

Tien Shinhan had inherited the Crane School. Signature techniques like the Flight Technique, Dodon Ray, and Tri-Beam had all been infused with his own understanding and improvements. The Tri-Beam in particular was a formidable move that even Master Shen himself could not master.

Yet Tien Shinhan could not only use it, but would later develop it to an utterly heaven-defying degree!

It corresponded to Master Roshi's trump-card technique, Thunder Shock Surprise.

Unlike Master Shen, after nurturing Goku and Krillin, Master Roshi had not chosen to teach them everything he knew. It was not because he was stingy, but because of a difference in perspective.

The facts proved that Goku and Krillin ultimately still forged martial arts paths of their own.

Martial arts might eventually decline on Earth, but the shadow of the Turtle School would always remain, while the Crane School was left with only Tien Shinhan.

That was the gap created by perspective.

"Li Ming, what are you talking about? Let's go, or we'll miss tournament registration." Bulma called out from the plane, where she had already returned.

"Mm." Li Ming turned and walked over. Launch had already boarded as well.

Hearing this, Yamcha stood there awkwardly scratching his head. When he looked up again, he found that the plane was already preparing to take off.

He could not use the Flight Technique, so he hurriedly shouted, "Wait for me! I haven't gotten on yet! I haven't gotten on yet!"

"Bulma, aren't we taking Yamcha with us?"

Launch asked gently, but Bulma answered without even thinking, "I want to, but there aren't enough seats on the plane. How about one of you two trades places with him?"

She meant Master Roshi and Krillin. There were only three seats in the back. They could squeeze together, but Bulma clearly did not intend to overload the plane.

Master Roshi and Krillin hurriedly shook their heads. With the principle of sacrificing a friend rather than themselves, they decisively abandoned Yamcha.

After all, Yamcha came in eighth every time. There was no suspense even if he went, so Yamcha was tragically left behind at Kame House.

Everyone arrived at the tournament venue with plenty of time to spare. After registering, all they could do was wait. Yet Goku had still not appeared, which made them somewhat anxious.

"Honestly, why is Goku always the last one to arrive?" Bulma had known Goku from the very beginning. They were old friends, and she had witnessed his growth every step of the way.

Krillin and Master Roshi were helpless too. They had not seen Goku in three years, and they were quite eager to see how much he had grown.

"Hm?" A chill touched the top of his head. Looking up, they saw raindrops falling from the sky, followed by a light drizzle.

Patter, patter...

After finding a few umbrellas, everyone continued waiting. Half an hour passed, and Li Ming looked into the distance.

Bulma started complaining again. "What is going on? Seriously."

"He should arrive in another ten minutes."

"Huh? You can sense him?" Master Roshi looked at Li Ming in surprise. He had not noticed anything at all.

"Yeah. He should be coming on the Flying Nimbus, so his ki isn't strong."

This was the result of Li Ming's three years of training. Perhaps he could not directly sense a person's good or evil like Kami, Mr. Popo, or Korin, but he could sense ki from extremely far away.

Even if Goku concealed his ki, he could still detect it!

Of course, this could not compare to how Goku later used Instant Transmission to sense ki throughout the universe. Even the closest distances in space were measured in light-years.

If one tried to fly instead, without a specialized spaceship, they could fly until they died and still might not encounter the next living planet.

At such a distance, unless the target could erupt with ki at the level of Super Saiyan 3, it was practically impossible for anyone on another planet to detect them.

As for how much battle power Super Saiyan 3 possessed, scouters were probably already useless at that point.

Ten minutes later, a man holding an umbrella walked over. He wore a dark martial arts uniform. The others did not recognize him at first, but Li Ming and Master Roshi identified him immediately through his ki.

"Yo, everyone. Long time no see."

He lowered his umbrella. With that distinctive hairstyle and face, despite his drastically changed height, everyone recognized him at once.

"Goku, y-you're Goku!?"

In their surprise, Krillin was still somewhat stunned. He and Goku had originally been the same height, and three years ago he had been half a head shorter than Goku. Now, he was more than an entire shoulder shorter.

"Of course it's me. What's wrong with you all? Couldn't recognize me? Li Ming, are you entering the World Martial Arts Tournament too? Great! I won't hold back."

"I never said I was entering, did I?" Li Ming teased.

Although Goku's memories had not returned, his personality had already begun to reveal a Saiyan's love of battle.

"How can that be? You're not entering? I thought you definitely would. Please, I really want to fight you and see."

Goku pressed his hands together, his attitude exceptionally earnest.

Even without Bardock's guidance, he had perfectly inherited the Saiyans' battle-loving nature, while also possessing the kindness of an Earthling.

The two did not conflict. It was their perfect fusion that made Goku who he was.

"Goku, Li Ming is teasing you. He already registered. We were just waiting for you." Bulma could not stand it anymore. Goku had been the first person she met, and their relationship was that of the closest friends.

Otherwise, she would not help Goku gather the Dragon Balls every time, nor would she specifically come to the World Martial Arts Tournament to support him.

"Then that's great. I'll go register first. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Goku was too simple-minded, and his thoughts were easy to guess. Although Kami had instructed him to eliminate Piccolo, it was more the Saiyan instinct to fight that drove him.

Perhaps compared to whether Piccolo would ultimately destroy the world, he cared more about whether they could have a battle.

"Heh, looks like this will be fun."

Li Ming smiled. Infected by Goku's enthusiasm, even he felt a faint surge of fighting spirit.

Honestly, after sensing the tangible gap between them, Li Ming no longer had many expectations for Goku and Piccolo's strength.